West Wake News

North Carolina Courage defender Sydney Collins has been named to the Canadian Women’s National Team’s 18-player Olympic roster, as announced by the federation Monday. The second-year professional has been on injured reserve since March, recovering from an ankle injury suffered during W Gold Cup preparation with Canada.

Collins will continue her return-to-play protocol with Canada under joint medical supervision from the club and country. Since her debut in April of 2023, Collins has six caps with Canada — four starts — with 359 minutes of experience. She has one assist in her budding senior international career.

“I couldn’t be more excited and honored to represent Canada in the Paris Olympics. I wouldn’t be in this position without the amazing support of the Courage coaches, medical staff, and my teammates through my recovery process. They have helped me make this goal a reality and I am so excited to be back on the field,” Collins said.

The eighth overall selection in the 2023 NWSL Draft, Collins made 10 appearances as a rookie across four regular season fixtures and six in the Challenge Cup. Poised for a heavier lift in her second professional season, the highly anticipated sophomore campaign has been on hold due to the ankle injury. Her selection to the Canadian roster is a promising sign she’ll hit the ground running upon her return and make an impact on the Courage in the second half of the 2024 season.

Collins and the Canadian team will first head to Marbella, Spain for a pre-camp from July 7-18 where they will face Australia in a broadcasted friendly on Sunday, July 14, and Nigeria in a closed-door match. Canada opens the Group Stage of the 2024 Olympics on Thursday, July 25, against New Zealand.